Turning left for less Turning left for less
  • Home
  • Beginners guide
  • Reviews
    • Hotel reviews
    • Flight reviews
    • Airline Lounge Reviews
    • Travel companies, luggage, travel tech & apps
    • Destination Dining
  • Destinations
    • Barbados
    • Las Vegas
    • Alicante
    • Marbella
    • All other destinations
  • About us
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact us
    • Privacy & Disclosure
      • Join our email list & data protection
    • Youtube and Podcast
  • BOOKING ENQUIRY
Categories
  • Air France
  • Airlines
  • Airport hotels
  • American Airlines
  • Avios
  • Black Friday 23
  • Black Friday 24
  • British Airways
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Business class
  • Cashback
  • competition
  • Credit cards
  • cruises
  • Destinations
  • Emirates
  • Etihad
  • Finnair
  • First class
  • General
  • Guide
  • Heathrow and Gatwick
  • Hilton
  • hotels
  • IHG
  • London hotels
  • Lounges
  • Marriott
  • Michelin star dining
  • News
  • Offers
  • Oneworld
  • parking
  • Qatar
  • reader questions
  • Reader review
  • Reviews
  • Skyteam
  • Star Alliance
  • Starwood
  • This Week in Travel
  • Trains
  • UK country hotels
  • UK hotels
  • USA
  • Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Turning left for less Turning left for less
Turning left for less Turning left for less
  • Home
  • Beginners guide
  • Reviews
    • Hotel reviews
    • Flight reviews
    • Airline Lounge Reviews
    • Travel companies, luggage, travel tech & apps
    • Destination Dining
  • Destinations
    • Barbados
    • Las Vegas
    • Alicante
    • Marbella
    • All other destinations
  • About us
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact us
    • Privacy & Disclosure
      • Join our email list & data protection
    • Youtube and Podcast
  • BOOKING ENQUIRY
BA should i buy avios
  • reader questions

TLFL Weekend Travel Surgery – Episode 1

  • 05/10/2019
  • Paul

So here we are – the first edition.  We will do this for as long as the questions and requests come in!

Apologies if we don’t answer you directly, we try and get round to everyone!

In this post:

  • Question 1 – 
  • Question 2 – 
  • Question 3 – 
  • Question 4 – 
  • Question 5 – 
  • If you want to have your question answered for next week’s Travel Surgery, just email [email protected]

Question 1 – 

Does having a BA OnBusiness Account help with upgrades?

An interesting question to start!  Short answer – no.

BA use a module in FLY (the flight management system) called DUT (discretionary upgrade tool) to decide upgrades before, and on the day.  Sadly the algorithm is unknown.  I wonder why?! 😉  However, my own knowledge and experience would tend to suggest being on an OB ticket or having an OB account would make no difference to DUT.

BA upgrade
Pro-active upgrade offer

Question 2 – 

I am flying back from Johannesburg with BA on an A380 in World Traveller Plus. I am a Bronze card holder but will be in rural Zimbabwe so imagine there won’t be any way of accessing 7-day seat choice. Taking a look at the website it looks full. I am thinking that there is no point in paying for 66F (the only ok seat) when some gold and silver may be upgraded, so there may be some better seats available at check in… Photo below.

Any advice/ tips appreciated… could there be any more seats to be released.??

Always remember – what BA.com shows you on the seating map, is likely not true/accurate.  Especially the lower down the status tiers you go. Certain seats are blocked next to Gold cardholders or blocked entirely for Gold cardholders or people with infants.

The best way is to check the seat map on ExpertFlyer – you can do this via the free apps for Android and iOS. This will show you the true picture including which seats are blocked rather than being available to book. More seats are normally released 72 hours before and at online check-in.

Theoretical seating is a huge machine in its own right, but long story short – it will show you the seats BA want you to have.  I’ll go into it in more detail soon.

 

Question 3 – 

I’m wondering if you have an article or experience around using Avios to travel around South America? I’ve done some research and there is a LATAM air pass but not sure if this is good value or better to use Avios on individual flights. Any comparison with cash like the article today would be fantastic!

Very good question – South America is on my hit list.  I do however have a good friend who I asked, and this was his reply – 

The air pass is very beneficial as it provides flex at discounted walk-up rates. It’s handy if you want to just pick a destination at random to go to and they can tweak the ticket. It’s basically a fully flex at a discount with some other rules such as no backtrack etc. visit Tohoku fare for Japan is the same thing. The downside is the rate you pay cash wise is by distance so good value in Japan where it’s small, terrible value for South America as it’s so large.. however, airfare between South American countries is horrendous. (redacted the last sentence – but apparently Avios bank favours are common on LA redemptions!) – Thanks, Craig 🙂

So?  Look at your routing, and compare both – but it sounds like Avios is generally always cheaper.

You can also have a read of Claudio’s guide to flying to and around South America. 

LATAM B787
LATAM B787

Question 4 – 

Here is a question for you. My daughter is visiting Thailand this November for two months. For taking money what would be the best options ie pre-paid card etc.
Many thanks
 
None of the TLFL team carries much, if any, cash when we travel! Michele and I have just been to Thailand and we didn’t really use cash at all. Most places take cards and if you need a taxi use the Grab app and link it to a card. There are a huge amount of “new” digital banks now with 0% fee on foreign currency transactions in some sense – my preferred one is Starling.  In fact, it’s my main bank!
 
Curve is also a good option.  This links to your existing cards and is very safe as you can instantly lock it if you lose it. Both Michele and I use Curve abroad. You can read more about Curve here.
 
Avoid taking cash with you – it will rarely beat a local conversion from a local ATM with a 0% fee account. Michele uses Revolut specifically for taking out foreign cash at local ATMs – it is free to do so. It is like a pre-paid card but much more versatile when using the app. You can instantly top up your account with money and then use the card to withdraw cash or pay for things.  You can read more about Revolut here.
 
 

Question 5 – 

I currently have the AMEX BA premium which I tend to use for all of my monthly spending to take advantage of the Avios. I’m moving to the Cayman Islands in January and was considering taking out the Platinum International Currency Card. I don’t think I’ll be doing a lot of hotel stays so not sure if this card will be worth the annual fee. 
 
What are your thoughts on it?
 
If you don’t have the normal Platinum I would say you wouldn’t really benefit from the ICC.  It would, however, offer USD spending options.  Maybe see if you can take out US-based AMEX products when you move?  The rewards are much better than the ones we see over here!  As ever – do your own research when it comes to financial products.
 

If you want to have your question answered for next week’s Travel Surgery, just email [email protected]

Like this:

Like Loading...
Tweet
Share
Pin2
Share
Reddit
WhatsApp
Pocket
Email
Flip
2 Shares
Paul

Previous Article
  • General

British Airways news: A350 to Toronto, new codeshare including Langkawi & new BOB with Tom Kerridge

  • 03/10/2019
  • Michele
View Post
Next Article
Qatar A380 business class review - Doha to London night flight
  • Lounges

What are the best oneworld & BA lounges in the world part 1 – Europe and Middle East

  • 06/10/2019
  • Michele
View Post
2 comments
  1. Geoff says:
    05/10/2019 at 9:21 am

    See: https://www.ar.jal.co.jp/world/en/info/inter/190729.html

    ‘Please be advised that the sales of oneworld YOKOSO/Visit Japan Fare and oneworld YOKOSO/Visit TOHOKU Fare have ended as of March 31, 2019.’

    Although there appears to be a similar replacement.

    1. Paul says:
      05/10/2019 at 12:13 pm

      Thanks Geoff.

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Turning Left for Less

Subscribe

* indicates required
Choose One Subscription Type

BOOK YOUR DREAM TRIP HERE

Want to book your hotel with extra perks such as upgrades and free breakfast? Need help booking flights? Our experts at Winged Boots can help.

Visit our booking page here

Turning Left For Less on Instagram

turningleftforless

Champagne travel on a Prosecco budget. UK blog on how to travel in luxury for less. Forbes contributor. #avgeek #luxurytravel #miles #luxuryhotel

FLIGHT REVIEW Qatar Airways A350 Q-suite Includin FLIGHT REVIEW

Qatar Airways A350 Q-suite Including Al Mourjan lounge by Mark Hopwood

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #qatarairways #qatar #almourjanlounge #qsuite
LOUNGE REVIEW Air Canada’s refurbished London H LOUNGE REVIEW

Air Canada’s refurbished London Heathrow T2 Maple Leaf lounge

Link in bio

#businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #loungereview #aircanada #heathrow
HOTEL REVIEW Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport – best HOTEL REVIEW

Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport – best of a bad bunch?

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #crowneplaza #crowneplazahotel #crowneplazadublinairport #dublin
FLIGHT REVIEW ITA Rome to Dubai – When Business FLIGHT REVIEW

ITA Rome to Dubai – When Business Class Feels More Like First Class – ITA’s A321neo Surprises!

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #ita #itaairways
FLIGHT REVIEW Virgin Atlantic Business Class From FLIGHT REVIEW

Virgin Atlantic Business Class From London to Atlanta – “I Was Wrong”

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #virginatlantic #virgin #upperclass
HOTEL REVIEW Le Royal Meridien, Dubai – Genuine HOTEL REVIEW

Le Royal Meridien, Dubai – Genuinely a Hidden Gem (Why do we keep going back?)

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #leroyalmeridiendubai #leroyalmeridien #dubai #uae
FLIGHT REVIEW ITA Business Class – London City FLIGHT REVIEW

ITA Business Class – London City to Rome – Almost Kicked Off for Taking a Photo!

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #clubeurope #ita #itaairways #londoncity
HOTEL REVIEW Malmaison Oxford Hotel – A Prison HOTEL REVIEW

Malmaison Oxford Hotel – A Prison That You Won’t Want to Escape From

Link in bio 

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #malmaison #malmaisonoxford #malmaisonoxfordprisonhotel #oxford
HOTEL REVIEW Hotel du Vin, Birmingham Link in bi HOTEL REVIEW

Hotel du Vin, Birmingham

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #hotelduvin #hotelduvinbirmingham
FLIGHT REVIEW Gulf Air Business Class Bangkok to FLIGHT REVIEW

Gulf Air Business Class Bangkok to Manchester Via Singapore and Bahrain

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #gulfair
FLIGHT REVIEW Etihad Business Class – Abu Dhabi FLIGHT REVIEW

Etihad Business Class – Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow After a Cancelled BA Flight

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #etihad
HOTEL REVIEW Hotel Spinale, Madonna di Campiglio HOTEL REVIEW

Hotel Spinale, Madonna di Campiglio – The Ultimate Ski Retreat?

Link in our bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #hotelspinale #hotelspinalemadonnadicampiglio #madonnadicampiglio #skiresort #skichalet
Checking out the new No 1 lounge at @heathrow_airp Checking out the new No 1 lounge at @heathrow_airport T2. Very impressed with the elegant feel to the lounge. It’s definitely a step up from the older style of No1. I’d go as far to say that it looks better than quite a few airline lounges. All drinks are included apart from champagne and there was a good selection of tasty food as well. Full review coming soon. #airportlounge #heathrowairport #luxurytravel #no1lounge
Hotel Review on the blog - Intercontinental O2, Lo Hotel Review on the blog - Intercontinental O2, London & the Cable Car Experience. 

Link in our bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #london #intercontinental #intercontinentalo2 #ifscloudcablecar
THE 8 BEST EUROPEAN SKI RESORTS by Turning Left fo THE 8 BEST EUROPEAN SKI RESORTS by Turning Left for Less

Take a look at our handpicked favourites in the article in our bio.

#luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #skiing #skiresort #skiholiday
New hotel review on the blog - Sofitel Kia Ora Moo New hotel review on the blog - Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Hotel, French Polynesia

Link in bio 

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #sofitel #sofitelkiaoramoorea #frenchpolynesia
Flight review on the blog - Thai Airways from Melb Flight review on the blog - Thai Airways from Melbourne to Bangkok – ‘Old School’ but Classy 🇦🇺✈️🇹🇭

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #thaiairways #thailand
HOTEL REVIEW 🇺🇸 Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beac HOTEL REVIEW 🇺🇸

Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach – Boutique Charm Meets Art Deco

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #miamibeach #southbeach #miami #nautilussonesta #boutiquehotel
HOTEL REVIEW 🇵🇫 Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resor HOTEL REVIEW 🇵🇫 

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, French Polynesia

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #frenchpolynesia #hiltonmoorea #hilton #moorea
FLIGHT REVIEW - New Air France A350-900 Business C FLIGHT REVIEW - New Air France A350-900 Business Class Suite Part 3 – The Free Extra Large Suite

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #airfrance
Follow on Instagram
Categories
Contact us

[email protected]

Unit 143857

PO Box 6945

LONDON

W1A 6US

Privacy Policy

Find out about our privacy policy and advertising disclosure here.

Turning left for less
Champagne travel on a Prosecco budget

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

%d